Has an NFL Game Ever Ended in a 0-0 Tie?
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It’s hard to believe but it’s true – an NFL game has actually ended in a 0-0 tie before! In this blog post, we’ll take a look at how this could happen and what the rules are around ties in the NFL.
Introduction
It’s hard to imagine an NFL game ending in a scoreless tie, but it’s happened before. In fact, there have been five 0-0 ties in NFL history. The most recent one occurred in the 2016 season, when the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals played to a draw.
The other four scoreless ties in NFL history all took place before the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. Three of those games were played in 1943, during World War II, when many of the league’s best players were serving in the military. The fourth 0-0 tie occurred in the 1968 season, between the New York Giants and the Cleveland Browns.
With the way today’s NFL offenses are built to score points, it’s unlikely that we’ll ever see another 0-0 tie. But stranger things have happened in sports, so you never know!
What are the NFL’s overtime rules?
In the NFL, if the score is tied at the end of regulation time, the game enters into overtime. During overtime, each team is given one possession to score points. If both teams score points during their respective possessions, the game continues in sudden death fashion, meaning that the first team to score during their next possession wins the game. However, if one team scores a touchdown and the other team only scores a field goal during their respective overtime possessions, then the game ends immediately and that team is declared the winner. Finally, if both teams fail to score during their first overtime possessions, then subsequent overtime periods are played like regulation periods, meaning that both teams get an opportunity to possess the ball and try to score points.
Has an NFL game ever ended in a 0-0 tie?
In the history of the National Football League (NFL), there have been two instances of a game ending in a scoreless tie. The first 0–0 tie occurred on November 28, 1943, between the Detroit Lions and New York Giants at Polo Grounds. The second and most recent 0–0 tie occurred on November 7, 2016, between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium.
Why have there been no 0-0 ties in the NFL since the 1970s?
The answer lies in the rules of the game, specifically the overtime rules that have been in place since 1974. Before that, it was not uncommon for NFL games to end in a tie, with both teams having the same score at the end of regulation time.
In overtime, each team is given the chance to score, with the first team to do so winning the game. If neither team scores in overtime, then the game ends in a tie. However, since both teams have an equal chance to score in overtime, it is very rare for an NFL game to end in a tie.
The last 0-0 tie in an NFL game occurred on November 19th, 1969 between the Dallas Cowboys and the Minnesota Vikings. Since then, there have been no 0-0 ties in any NFL game.
Conclusion
Surprisingly, there has only been one game in NFL history that has ended in a 0-0 tie. That game was played between the Chicago Bears and the Philadelphia Eagles on November 7, 1943. At the time, both teams were in the middle of their season and were looking for a win. Unfortunately, neither team was able to score any points and the game ended in a tie.
